Armenia’s Across the World Commemorate 93rd Anniversary of Genocide

Armenian communities around the world marked the 93rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on Friday with ceremonies, candle light vigils, and protests against Turkey’s ongoing denial.

FranceIn France, Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe paid tribute to the victims of the genocide by laying flowers at a monument in Paris erected in memory of its victims. Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, who was in France for a three day working visit attended a reception in honor of the victims of the Armenian Genocide held in Paris. At the reception were French Armenia’s, heads of French, Jewish and Islamic organizations, and French political and community leaders. An exhibit was also organized by the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy-the European branch of the Armenian National Committee–near the monument in honor of Armenian composer Komitas on Canada Square. The exhibit featured various evidence and facts about Turkey’s continued denial of the genocide. The Armenian community of France also protested outside the Turkish embassy in Paris where Turkish nationalistic organizations were also carrying out a series of anti-Armenian events. A church service was also held in the French city of Lyon. The Lyon branch of the Armenian National Committee of Europe also organized a protest against Turkish denial that was attended by the mayor of Lyon and representatives from Tibet. A church service was also served in Grenoble near an Armenian cross-stone, while various other events were held in Nice, Toulon, Cannes, Bordeaux and other French cities. Marseille will be commemorating the genocide on April 29.

GermanyA Church service organized by the Armenian Central Council and the German Diocese of the Armenian church was held Thursday in the Frankfurt church in Germany to commemorate the victims of the Armenian genocide. An official from the Armenian Central Council told Armenpress that political, cultural and intellectual leaders attended the ceremony. Leipzig University Professor Georg Megle, joined Officials from the Evangelic Church Council of Germany and Archbishop Garegin Bekchian to delivered speeches at the commemoration. "Time will come when the denial of the Armenian genocide will at last be punished in Germany and time will come when the genocide and violence of the 20th century will be included in the education system," the chairman of the Armenian Central Council Shavarsh Hovasapian said. "It is necessary to break the silence which is being displayed by a number of European and other countries because those who keep silent become participants of the crime," he said. "It is a historic mistake that time may clear the issue. Just the opposite, the developmen’s of recent years show that history does not forget anything." The council also urged the Turkish organizations of Germany to come to terms with history and recognize the Armenian genocide. Commemorating services were also held in Berlin, K?ln, Stuttgart and other German cities.

PolandIn Poland, Armenia’s organized a march in Warsaw near the Virgin Church. The candlelight procession ended at the doorstep of the Turkish embassy. Participants carried flags, and posters condemning the genocide and its ongoing denial by Turkey. A church service was held in the Episcopal church of Warsaw. The Polish Parliament adopted a resolution condemning the mass killings of Armenia’s by the Ottoman Turkey and describing them as genocide in 2005.RussiaMeanwhile, Armenians in Moscow commemorated the Genocide with a ceremony in the courtyard of Moscow’s Armenian church, which is still under construction. Armenia’s ambassador to Russia Armen Smbatian, the representatives of the Russian Diocese of the Armenian Church as well as representatives of the Armenian community participated in the event. A requiem service was held and wreaths were placed at a memorial in memory of 1.5 million innocent victims of the genocide, Embassy Press Secretary Gevorg Minasian told Armenpress. A protest was also organized by Armenian youth in front of the Turkish Embassy in

Russia. A church service was held in Russia’s southern Krasnodar province Thursday where representatives of the Armenian community laid flowers at the cross-stone. Speakers of the event condemned Turkey for denying the fact of the genocide and called on all Armenia’s to step their efforts for international recognition of this crime. Krasnodar is home to the largest Armenian community outside of Armenia. The Yerkramas weekly, an Armenian newspaper in Krasnodar operated by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, reported that on April 23 over 100 young Armenia’s marched with lit torches to a cross-stone at the courtyard of the local Armenian church. A letter urging the members of the Krasnodar provincial legislature to pass a resolution recognizing the Genocide was read during the ceremony. A documentary of the Armenian Genocide by Armenia-based Yerkir Media TV was shown after the ceremony at the cross-stone.

GeorgiaThe Armenian embassy in Georgia also conducted a series of events between April 19 to 24 dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Armenian genocide. The Georgian Diocese of the Armenian Church and Armenian Cooperation Center of Georgia also participated in the organization of the events. Memorial services were held in all churches of the Georgian Armenian Diocese. An international conference entitled, "1915-1923 Armenian Genocide: View from Tbilisi, Istanbul and Yerevan" was held at the Tbilisi French Cultural Center on April 19. On April 23, a conference on the motives behind Franz Werfel’s "40 Days of Musa Dagh" was held in the Tbilisi Cinema House, after which a documentary by Karen Gevorgian entitled "Genocide without Commen’s" was shown. A tree planting ceremony Khojavank, attended by community leaders, was held on Thursday. While the film the "Genocide in Me" was shown Thursday in the Tbilisi Youth theatre. Tbilisi’s Genocide Commemoration events were concluded by a play by Garnik Seyranian’s entitled "Absorbing Silence."

IndiaIn India, the Armenian community along with students and teachers from the Armenian humanitarian college visited the St. Nazareth Armenian Church in Calcutta, where there is a memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide. A representative from the college told Armenpress that after putting a wreath on the memorial the participants paid tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of the genocide with a minute of silence. A requiem service was also conducted.

CyprusMeanwhile, in Cyprus, Armenian youth distributed leaflets on Thursday at Eleftherias Square, where information about the Armenian Genocide was projected on a big screen for pedestrians to see. A Holy Liturgy was also held in the evening at St. Mary’s Church in Nicosia. Alongside the religious ceremony, the community also marched on Armenia’street, ending the candlelight procession at the Genocide Memorial in Cyprus. A service commemorating the victims of the Armenian genocide will be held in the Greek Evangelical Church on May 4.

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